The Secret Adventures of Ace and The Captain
by AbhainnGealach
Summary: The story of what happens after Ace meets The Captain at the end of "The Doctor Zone." Please review :
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Doctor Who or The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne**

**A/N: I have been trying for quite a long while now to write this sequel and finally after so long I finally had the time and the pieces fell into place and I managed to finally write it. (The very beginning of Chapter 1 is the Epilogue from the Doctor Zone reprinted.) Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 1**

Ace sat up slowly, aching over every inch of her body. She groaned and slowly shook her head and looked around. Her uniform was covered in scorch marks and small burn holes but was otherwise okay. The charred wreck of her knapsack lay a few feet away.

She was lying in a field some distance from what had been the crudely built headquarters of the Daleks at the other end of the time portal. This side had been deserted either because all the Daleks had gone to the other side or had found some other means of escape. Her head hurt too much right now to dwell on it. But she remembered dropping her knapsack and half running/half falling to the lopsided wooden door of the badly made stone building. The resultant explosion of the remaining Nitro 10 in her knapsack had reduced the poor hut to rubble and thrown her a short distance away, her knapsack, by some freak chance had been spat out after her, almost an afterthought.

She rubbed her face and ran her fingers through her hair. She seemed fine except for some small scratches on her face but she was shaky and needed water. She tried to stand but her legs seemed unwilling to cooperate just then so she sank back down on the soft grass with a sigh.

"Excuse me, do you need some help?"

The voice came from behind her but she hadn't heard anyone approach. At least it wasn't the voice of a Dalek. She carefully turned to look behind her, shading her eyes from the bright sunlight on her face. She looked up into a handsome, chiseled face with dark hair that fell across his brow just so. The face smiled charmingly at her as she stared in awe.

"I could use some water," she managed to finally say, "and a hand up."

He held his hand down to her and helped her get to her feet, this time her legs were willing, though she swayed a bit. He held out a canteen and she took a long drink.

"Thanks," she said. "I don't suppose you could tell me where I am?"

"Looks to me like you're near where there was a very big explosion. Was that your doing?" he asked, the grin still playing on his mouth.

She cleared her throat. "Um, well…"

"I can tell you're not from around here," he said, eyeing her up and down in a way that made her blush. "So, to better answer your question, you're in France, in the late summer of 1869."

Ace's mouth dropped open in shock then she recovered. "I guess you're not from around here either." She took a wild guess. The grin widened and he shook his head.

"Not in any way, shape or form. I'm just wandering around now for no good reason. I got stuck here by accident, well not entirely, but that's close enough."

"I did, too, I think. Damn," she paused. "Oh, sorry, I really appreciate your help. I'm Ace," she held out her hand for him to shake and he took it and kissed it.

"Pleased to meet you, Captain Jack Harkness."

Ace looked around at the wide expanse of meadow and then back at Jack.

"Now what do I do?"

"I'm on my way to Paris, you can come with me if you like," Jack offered.

"But I need…." she began and Jack looked at her.

"You aren't going to get back, at least, not without some help. I might be able to help you."

Ace frowned at him and folded her arms. "And how exactly are you going to manage that?"

"Because," he said simply and smiled at her again. "Come on, let's start walking and we'll find you some clothes on the way," he instructed and looked at her badly abused clothing. "And you can tell me all about the Doctor."

Ace felt her eyes widening and she gaped at him.

"Oh, come on, how else would I know?"

She attempted to answer him, but nothing came out. She snapped her mouth shut with a sigh.

"Fine," she finally agreed and followed him down the dirt road and began to answer his questions. After awhile, he spotted a farmhouse that luckily had laundry hanging on the fence.

"Wait here," he told her and shoved her behind a nearby tree and then hustled over to the fence and quickly snatched a few garments from the rail and sprinted back to the tree. He handed the things to her.

"Oh thanks," she said and then looked at what he'd given her. "A skirt? Are you kidding?"

"Just put it on, okay? You of all people should know how important it is to blend in," he reminded her.

She snorted. "Yeah, you so blend." and he chuckled.

"Turn around," she said and twirled her hand. Jack rolled his eyes and pointed turned his back to her and she quickly changed into the shirt and skirt he'd brought for her.

She quickly went through the pockets of her clothes to make sure they were empty and then buried them at the base of the tree.

"Ready," she announced.

"Excellent. We'll get a room when we get to Paris and see about how we could get you back, or at least, close."

Ace looked at him doubtfully as she slung her knapsack back onto her shoulder.

"Why not two rooms?" she wanted to know.

He glanced at her. "Because I don't have a lot of money. Don't worry. I'll be a perfect gentleman, unless you don't want me to be, of course," he explained and grinned at her mischievously.

She shook her head. "I don't think that's going to happen. We'll pose as brother and sister," she decided.

"Fine by me, sis," Jack agreed and took her arm as they set off walking again.

As they walked, they talked more, mostly about the Doctor. Jack was a bit saddened that she had met the Doctor and Rose before they had met Jack, but he quickly shrugged it off. He was much impressed by the time she had spent on Gallifrey and listened intently to the way she said she'd been – "altered". She also showed him the metal armband she wore and explained some of what it could do. She was worried it might have been damaged slightly in the explosion.

"It's Timelord technology," Jack argued. "I doubt it was damaged at all."

"Well, I don't plan to take any chances. It's my only hope of getting back to where I belong."

Jack walked along silently for a few minutes, studying her covertly from the corner of his eye. He had told her a lot of things, but not about the fact that he couldn't die. He was reticent to tell her about that, he wasn't sure why.

"Why not kick around France with me for awhile?" he finally asked and Ace shook her head.

"I have duties and responsibilities in U.N.I.T. I have to get back to," she refused with a sigh.

Jack barely nodded and fell silent.

/\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\

They wandered around the city until after nightfall, first, just to look, then to find a room and a place to eat. Jack might be able to go seemingly long periods without food, but Ace's stomach liked to be fed at nice regular intervals and it was quite disgruntled.

She was about to open her mouth to join her vocal complaints with those of her stomach's when she heard the unmistakable sounds of a scuffle coming from the alleyway they were approaching. She put a hand on Jack's arm to stop him and pointed at the alley.

Jack nodded. He'd already heard the sounds and was planning to stop and see what was going on. He carefully approached the alley and peered around the wall. He held up three fingers and then one and caught Ace's nod from the corner of his eye.

"Now, now, three against one hardly seems fair," Jack announced as he entered the alleyway. Ace rolled her eyes. It would have been best to run in and use the benefit of surprise.

One of the thugs turned to face Jack, a wide grin splitting his gap-toothed mouth. Ace hung back, she hadn't been seen yet and she intended to use the element of surprise. Jack grinned back at the large, lumbering man and easily side-stepped the first punch, landing one of his own and blackening the thug's eye.

Ace kept her attention on the other two, who had a smaller figure down on the ground that they seemed to be tying up. Ace spotted a handy piece of wood in a nearby pile of refuse and picked it up. She got a good grip on it and then ran into the alleyway, swinging the piece of wood at the back of another thug's head. The man fell over with a grunt and the third looked up at her with narrowed eyes.

"Not smart, missy," he rasped and pulled a gun from the waistband of his trousers. Ace's eyes widened. Her stick of wood was no match for that. The man smiled evilly at her and cocked the pistol and leveled it at her. Suddenly, Jack was in front of her just before the man fired the gun, the bullet striking Jack right in the heart.

"Jack!" Ace gasped as he went down. The thug Jack had been fighting was already down; Jack had broken the man's neck. She turned her attention back to the man with the gun and quickly lashed out with the wood and knocked the gun from his hand and then striking him in the head with the following swing. She watched in satisfaction as the man went down and stood stooped over a moment to catch her breath before dropping the piece of wood and kneeling down next to Jack.

She rolled him onto his back and bit her lip at the sight of the blood on his chest then found her attention distracted by muffled noises coming from the person the thugs had been tying up. She quickly stood and walked over and helped the person sit up. She quickly pulled the cloth bag from his head and looked into the surprised eyes of a young man.

"Er…" he began and felt relief when the woman began to help him to his feet and pulled away the ropes.

"Thank you," he said as he rubbed at his wrists.

"You're welcome. You're okay I assume?" she asked, her tone unintentionally sharp.

"Yes, I am now," he caught sight of Jack. "I'm sorry about your friend."

"He saved my life," she said. "I stood there like an idiot, ready to let that creep just shoot me and Jack jumped in front of me," she explained, her voice heavy with regret. She knelt down next to Jack again.

"Oh, Jack," she said sadly and fell back with a startled shriek as Jack's body suddenly jerked and he drew in a gasping breath. Ace scrabbled up and looked at Jack in shock as he sat up and looked down at his shirt.

"You…you…." she stammered.

"Yes, I know, but I got better," he said sharply. "And I need a new shirt," he complained and stood up. He held out a hand and helped Ace to her feet. He saw the young man and his face brightened.

"Hello," he greeted and held out his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness," he introduced. The young man finished brushing himself off and smiled back.

"Verne, Jules Verne, I really can't thank you enough for your help," he said to the Ace and Jack.

"Yeah, well," Jack said and shrugged.

"Have you eaten yet? I'm meeting up with some friends and it would be my pleasure to buy you dinner," he offered.

"Um, sure," Ace said in surprise, but unwilling to refuse. She was still hungry.

"We should go now before your friends wake up," Jack said and grabbed up the discarded pistol and stuck it in his coat pocket.

"Jules Verne, the writer?" Ace said, trying to mask her surprise. All her travel with the Doctor she should be used to meeting famous people out of history. But sometimes she couldn't help but get excited.

The young man nodded at her question.

"Follow me," he said and led them from the alley. Ace looked at Jack and mouthed "Jules Verne" at him and he chuckled at her.

None of them saw the figure that detached itself from the shadows and followed after them.

"So, who were those men? I think they were more than common footpads," Jack wondered.

Jules nodded. "They work for Count Gregory, he must have found out I was back in Paris and is trying to capture me again," he explained with a sigh.

Ace opened her mouth to ask about Count Gregory, but at the feel of Jack's cautioning hand on her arm, she closed it. She looked at Jack curiously and he shook his head. They had their own worries; he didn't want to be involved in this, even if it was Jules Verne, the famous writer.

"Just let him buy us something to eat and then we'll be on our merry way," he whispered to her and she reluctantly nodded.

Jules led them into a small restaurant and due to the greetings being called out to him, he also knew everyone. He gestured Jack and Ace to sit down and ordered food for them and a bottle of wine.

"The others aren't here yet, so we have time to eat," he told them and quickly grabbed up a hunk of bread and tore it in half and spread a thick layer of cheese on it. He looked at Ace.

"You didn't tell me your name," he said as he gestured at her with the chunk of bread.

"Call me Ace," she said. She really didn't want to give her proper name, not if she didn't have to. He gave her a curious look, but shrugged.

"All right, Ace," Jules agreed and took a large bite of bread. Ace quickly reached for bread and began to eat hungrily.

"So, what are you doing here?" Jules asked curiously after they'd managed to eat some of the restaurant's excellent food.

"Just passing through," Jack replied evasively. Jules nodded and glanced behind him as he heard the door open. Jack watched the young man's handsome face split into a grin as three people entered and moved across the restaurant to sit with them.

Jack glanced at Ace, who looked just as impressed at the new arrivals. One man was very well-dressed and very good looking and obviously well to do. The woman walking with him was much the same. Another man, who seemed to be a servant followed behind them.

Jules stood up.

"How are you, Verne?" the gentleman asked as he removed his top hat and then shook Jules' hand.

"I'm well, Fogg, and you?"

Phileas Fogg simply smiled and nodded and sat down and helped himself to wine.

"Master, let me be getting that for you," the servant said. Fogg held up a hand.

"Just, sit, Passepartout, I can do this myself," Fogg said.

Jules ignored the two men and focused on the woman, who was smiling warmly at him.

"Rebecca," Jules said simply.

"It's good to see you again," Rebecca said and folded Jules into a brief hug. "You're looking well, if a bit," she eyed his clothes which had been mussed by the scuffle in the alley, "seedy," she joked.

"Well, I might not have been here at all," Jules told her as he gestured her to sit down, "if not for these two here."

Fogg and Rebecca turned their attention to Jack and Ace. Jack quickly smiled and extended a hand.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he introduced. Phileas looked at Jack curiously, but shook his hand. Rebecca reached to shake Jack's hand and then blushed as he took her hand and kissed it.

"Very nice to meet you," Rebecca simpered, causing Phileas to turn and look at her, something like shock crossing his normally serene countenance.

"Likewise, I'm sure," Jack said back, his voice almost a caress. Rebecca made a noise and grabbed up the glass Phileas had poured wine into and drained it. Jack turned his head towards Ace and gave her a wink. Ace simply shook her head and sighed softly.

"And you are?" Phileas asked Ace.

"She just goes by Ace," Jules supplied before Ace could answer. "And she wields a mean cudgel," he added. Ace couldn't help but chuckle.

"I practiced with bats," she said and wished she hadn't at the confused looks on Phileas and Rebecca's faces.

"So, what happened then, Verne?" Phileas wanted to know, leaving Ace somewhat annoyed at Fogg's dismissal of her.

"Fogg, don't be so rude," Rebecca chided him. "I'm Rebecca Fogg and this very rude person is Phileas," Rebecca explained to Ace and Jack, her tone slightly disapproving of Phileas' behavior. "He is also, unfortunately for me, my cousin," she added.

Phileas looked at Rebecca steadily for a moment. "Very well, now that all the niceties are out of the way, can we find out what Verne is talking about?" Phileas asked his tone sharp.

Rebecca rolled her eyes and waved her hand at him before pouring herself another glass of wine.

"The Count tried to get his hands on me again," Jules explained and Phileas snorted.

"Him again," he muttered.

Ace wanted to ask again about this Count, but as if Jack could read her thoughts, he gave her a stern glance and very slightly shook his head at her. She glared back at him and then turned to Passepartout, who was seated next to her.

"So, who is this Count then?" she whispered as the others continued their conversation. She caught Jack looking at her, but ignored him.

"He's a very bad man. He is running this League of Darkness," Passepartout explained, also keeping his voice low.

"What does he want with Jules?"

"He wants Mr. Jules' mind, he has tried many times to get him, he has kidnapped him and another time the Count tried to convince him that his League were for the good of the people. Mr. Jules figured out otherwise, of course."

Ace nodded. "Of course," she agreed. Her mind went briefly to the armband she wore. It wouldn't do for it to fall into this Count's hands, and there was Jack….

She needed to talk to him. They should probably leave Paris tonight if Jack didn't want to get involved.

Ace was startled from her musings by Phileas clearing his throat.

"Now what would an English woman and an American man be doing in Paris?" he asked Jack and Ace, resting his gaze on them. His expression was mild, but Ace could see the danger lurking behind the man's gaze, he wasn't someone to cross.

"Just passing through," she quickly replied when she realized Jack was distracted – he was busily flirting with Rebecca.

"Really?" he asked, his tone indicating he didn't quite believe her.

"Yes, in fact, we weren't even going to stay this long, but Mr. Verne offered to buy us dinner to thank us for helping him and how could we refuse?"

"How indeed?" Phileas echoed. Ace wondered how he could do that, put so much meaning into so few words. She'd heard the Doctor do it on numerous occasions, but had never mastered the skill. She shifted uncertainly under Phileas' scrutiny.

She noticed his eyes shift to her arm and realized her sleeve had moved exposing the armband she wore. Before she could move the sleeve to cover it, Phileas' hand had grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her arm to him.

"Interesting piece of jewelry," he commented as he traced his forefinger over the designs etched in the metal.

Ace roughly jerked her arm from his grasp and tugged her sleeve back down. "Family heirloom," she said shortly and put her hand in her lap.

Phileas raised an eyebrow and gazed at her speculatively again, but said nothing more.

Ace stood up. "Thank you very much for the food, but we really must go, mustn't we, Jack?"

Jack broke off talking to Rebecca and looked up at Ace slightly surprised.

"Um, yes, I suppose we must," he agreed uncertainly and stood up.

"Very nice to have met you," she said and nodded at them all and with another look at Jack, she headed for the door.

"Thank you again for your help," Jules said.

"Think nothing of it," Jack returned blithely as he stood.

Ace ushered Jack out of the restaurant and let out a long breath when they'd finally emerged.

"That Rebecca was very charming," Jack mused and Ace looked at him, her expression skeptical. Jack grinned at her.

"She was. She far more than some idle noblewoman," he said.

"Well, I'm sure that Phileas is more than a gentleman. I think I fobbed his questions off well enough, but he didn't believe anything I said."

She looped her arms with Jack's and pulled him so he would start walking down the street.

"I think we should get out of Paris," she told Jack, keeping her tone low.

Jack looked at her curiously. Ace stopped Jack and looked around them quickly. "I was talking to that servant, Passepartout, he told me this Count is a very bad…man…for want of a better word. Jack, you died in that alley and came back to life, I can't believe that this Count wouldn't want to get his hands on you if he knew about that."

Jack snorted and started walking again. "I doubt he would know about it," Jack finally said softly. "Those thugs were out cold when I came back."

Ace finally shrugged, but she wasn't convinced. This Count clearly had eyes and ears everywhere from the sound of it with this League of his. There was no guarantee he wouldn't know about Jack. She wasn't sure if they did stay in Paris she would be able to sleep. But was it wise to leave the city now that it was dark and getting late in the evening? Probably not, she decided. They were going to have to find some place to stay.

"Well, then, why don't we hurry up and find some place to stay and get off the street?" she asked him.

He patted her hand. "If it will make you feel better, fine," he agreed and gestured at a small hotel down the street.

"Will that do?"

"Just about anything will do," she said and smiled. She just hoped there was a comfortable chair she could sit in since sleep would not be an option.

He pulled her in the direction of the hotel and began to hum a little tune to make her smile. She looked up at him and opened her mouth to say something and instead of words, a scream came out as she saw a dark figure materialize out of the shadows behind Jack and club him hard on the back of the head.

She gaped at the figure, unable to make sense of its features or if it even possessed a face. It "looked" at her and she backed away and glanced around for something, anything, she could use as a weapon. The figure held its hand out towards her and her eyes widened as a fine spray issued from it. She quickly put her hands up, but not soon enough. She inhaled the spray and began to cough. She dropped to her knees as she began to feel dizzy and was only dimly aware of the figure bodily lifting Jack from the pavement and slinging him over its shoulder and walking away.

"Jack," she choked out before the world went dark.

/\\/\\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\\/\

"Why were you so rude to them, Fogg?" Jules demanded to know after Jack and Ace had left. Rebecca nodded along with Jules' statement, a frown creasing her pretty features.

Phileas widened his eyes at the pair of them slightly and snorted.

"I don't think they were what they seemed to be," he replied arrogantly. "We don't need odd strangers involved if we're dealing with the Count."

"Because we never have before," Rebecca commented silkily and gave Phileas a look. His normally bland expression changed slightly to one of remorse before his cool veneer returned.

"We should probably all just get in the Aurora and leave," he said. "I'm not really minded to put up with that…creature again."

Rebecca and Jules both sighed identical sighs and Phileas looked at Rebecca.

"Don't you have a mission anyway?" he asked her sharply.

"I can do both you know," she shot back. "We spies are very good at doing more than one thing at a time," she added tartly.

"There was something about them, Fogg," Jules put in. "I think maybe they could help us defeat the Count for good."

Phileas narrowed his eyes and Jules and looked unconvinced.

"I think Jules is right, there was definitely something about those two," Rebecca added.

"The lady, she was knowing a lot about technology, Boss," Passepartout ventured and Phileas growled.

"It seems I am outvoted. Fine, Passepartout and I will retire to the Aurora and if you two want these strangers to help us so badly, then you can go in search of them."

He stood up and swung his hat up onto his head. "Good night."

He turned and marched from the restaurant, Passepartout right on his heels, even though he would have preferred to go with Rebecca and Jules.

Rebecca looked at Jules. "So, where do we start?"

"They were looking for a place to stay…" he began.

"Hotels, then," she said as she stood up and pulled her cloak about her shoulders. She took Jules' arm and left the restaurant with him.

/\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\

Ace groaned and rolled over. 'What was in that stuff she'd been sprayed with?' she wondered. She put a hand to her head and slowly sat up. She was still lying on the pavement just down the street from the hotel. No sign of Jack. She began to struggle to her feet and nearly fell down at the sound of footsteps running towards her. They were coming back!

"Ace, let me help you," she heard a familiar voice say and felt her arm grabbed. She looked up into Jules' face and managed a slight smile. Her other arm was taken hold of and she looked at Rebecca as the two of them steadied Ace on her feet.

"What happened?" Rebecca wanted to know.

"Some…one…thing…came and took Jack. Hit him on the head with something, but sprayed something in my face, not sure what it was," she replied faintly and grabbed her head.

"My head is killing me," she groaned.

"Look, the Aurora isn't far from here. We'll take you to it. Passepartout can give you something for your head," Jules suggested.

"You'll be safe there. Once you're settled you can tell us more about what happened."

Ace gave the barest of nods and let them lead her away.

"What's the Aurora? Is that a boat or something?"

Rebecca gave a low chuckle. "Or something, you'll see."

They led her to an alley and Rebecca lifted her head and put her fingers to her lips and blew a piercing whistle. A few moments later a rope ladder dropped in front of them. Ace looked up and gasped.

"That's…" she began and trailed off.

"That's the Aurora. She's a dirigible," Jules supplied. "Don't worry, it's quite…luxurious. It belongs to Fogg, so it can't be anything but," he joked and helped her onto the ladder.

"Just hold on, Passepartout will bring you up," Rebecca said. Ace clutched the ladder as the dizziness made her sway and felt the ladder begin to move.

Passepartout reached down and helped her climb onto the ship and then dropped the ladder again.

"Are you all right, Miss Ace? You don't look very well."

"I just need to sit down," she said and he helped her into the main room and sat her down in a plush chair. She smiled her thanks and looked around. It certainly was luxurious, she had to admit. A few minutes later she was joined by Rebecca and Jules.

"Passepartout, see if there's any residue of the spray on Ace's skin and get it tested. We should make sure she's not been poisoned," Rebecca said and Passepartout nodded and went to get a damp cloth to wipe Ace's face. He carefully wiped Ace's face with a corner of the cloth and then headed off to his lab to analyze it.

Rebecca stood up and checked the pot that was on a tray on the desk. "There's tea in the pot," Rebecca noted as she peered inside and poured a cup for Ace and brought it to her.

"Here, lots of sugar," she said and Ace gratefully took the cup and cradled the delicate china in her hands.

"Can you describe who attacked you?" Jules wanted to know. Ace took a cautious sip of the tea.

"It was dark, so I couldn't see much. Whoever it was had a cloak wrapped around them, made them harder to really get a good look at. But…"she trailed off and took another sip of tea. "The eyes…they didn't look like eyes, it looked like someone maybe wearing goggles and the hand had some sort of glove thing on it. I'm sorry I can't be more help. It happened so fast."

She paused and drained the tea. "You think that Count took him, don't you?"

Jules nodded. "Yes, I do. What you described sounds a lot like a spy the Count uses. He no doubt was there when you and Jack helped me and he probably what happened to Jack. The Count would definitely want to get his hands on Jack."

Ace nodded. "That's what I thought."

"What happened to Jack?" Rebecca wanted to know.

Ace and Jules looked at each other. Ace finally sighed. Surely Rebecca would keep it to herself. Ace could tell there was something…unusual…about Rebecca.

"He got shot, right in the heart, and he came back," Ace explained.

"Came back? What? From the dead?" Rebecca gasped and Ace nodded.

"He was definitely dead," Jules agreed, "and then he wasn't."

Rebecca let out a long breath, her patrician features troubled. "I definitely think the Count would like to know how that's done," she mused. She looked back at Ace. "Is he human, Jack?"

Ace considered for a moment. "I think he used to be, I couldn't say that for sure about him now. Not considering he can shake off a gunshot to the chest."

"How do you suppose it happened? This immortality of his?"

"I really don't know. He didn't say anything about it," Ace replied. She wished Rebecca would stop asking questions. She didn't really want to let anything slip about The Doctor. She had a feeling whatever had happened to Jack had happened while he was with The Doctor, however. Her hand strayed to her sleeve to make sure it was covering the armband she was wearing. Although she might be able to trust her secrets with these people she wasn't certain and she'd grown used to not volunteering information. The device could scan; she just might be able to find Jack. He'd traveled with The Doctor; those energies would be easy to pick up.

Then she just had to find a way to rescue Jack from this Count, which would likely be no easy task, and then see if she could find a way back home. Things were not looking up.

Passepartout walked back into the room.

"It was just a simple knock-out drug, Miss Rebecca. I detect no poisons or anything like that," he told her.

"Thank you," Rebecca said and steepled her fingers. "I'm tired, I suggest we all get some rest and tackle this problem when we're fresher. We'll need to talk to Phileas anyway and see what we can do to find Jack. Passepartout, can you make anything that might help us find Jack?"

He shrugged. "I can only try, Miss Rebecca," he replied and picked up the tray of tea things and carried it away.

"You can bunk in with me," Rebecca said to Ace. "I've got something you can wear, I'm sure. Passepartout is a marvel with needle and thread; we'll make sure you have some clothing."

"Thank you," Ace said and followed Rebecca to her room. Passepartout watched them go and then looked at Jules.

"Good night, Mr. Jules," he said and bowed.

"Night, Passepartout," Jules said and leaned back in his chair, his mind full of the night's events.

/\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\\\\\/\\

Jack moaned and lifted his head and realized he was bound against a wall, manacles holding his ankles and wrists in place. He sighed. Great, just great. He looked around. He seemed to be in some bizarre science lab. Some of the things were very advanced, for this time period at any rate. He remembered what little bit Ace had passed on about the Count and now he seemed to be in his "lair". Ace had been right. Someone had seen what had happened and told the Count. Jack wondered what might happen next and sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Doctor Who or The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne**

**Chapter 2**

Ace woke to the smell of strong coffee and sighed as she sat up. She was going to have to find someplace fairly private to scan for Jack. A small thump caught her attention and she turned to see Rebecca closing the wardrobe door. The woman was dressed head to toe in a form-fitting leather outfit. Ace felt her jaw drop. She was sure women didn't generally dress in that manner at this time. She cleared her throat.

Rebecca turned her head and smiled as she sat down to adjust her boots.

"Best to be ready for action," Rebecca commented when she noticed the look on Ace's face.

"I think I could use something like that," Ace remarked. "There's clearly more to you than meets the eye."

"I could say the same of you," Rebecca said. "I'm sure we could put one together for you, easily."

She put her foot on the floor and regarded Ace for a moment. She inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly.

"If we're going to work together to get Jack from the Count, we should probably trust each other. I work for the British Secret Service; I find this type of outfit very useful from time to time. It's helped to get me out of some very tight spots, if you'll pardon the pun."

Ace chuckled and shifted under Rebecca's steady gaze. The woman was clearly waiting for Ace to speak. She surely couldn't tell the woman everything.

"I worked for a special branch of the British military," she finally explained grudgingly and hoped Rebecca would buy her story. "I specialized in unusual happenings and I'm very good with explosives."

Rebecca looked at Ace for a few more moments and then finally nodded. "That will come in handy," she said with a tone of finality. Ace knew the woman could sense there was more and was grateful Rebecca wasn't pushing it. Both women turned at a brief rap at the door.

"Miss Rebecca, Miss Ace, breakfast is ready," the voice of Passepartout called through the door.

"Be right there," Rebecca called out. She glanced at Ace. "We'll get your measurements and see how quickly we can get a suit made for you, if you really want one."

Ace nodded. She could already think of modifications she could make to the suit. She bent down to put her own shoes on as Rebecca pulled a dress on over the leather suit and then checked her hair in the mirror.

She followed Rebecca out of the room after a quick brush of her own hair. Phileas was nowhere to be seen, but Jules was seated at the table working his way through a plate of bread, cheese and fruit. He stood as she and Rebecca approached the table.

"I hope you slept well?"

Ace nodded. "I did, thank you."

She sat down and helped herself to coffee and breakfast. She was hungrier than she'd realized.

"Where's Phileas?" Rebecca asked and took a sip of coffee.

"Not back yet. I assume he's still at home," Jules replied and took another huge bite to avoid any other questions.

Ace shared an amused glance with Rebecca and turned her attention to her food while Rebecca idly sipped her coffee, picked at a croissant and read the newspaper. When she'd finished her croissant, Rebecca put the paper aside and stood up.

"I have some people to talk to," Rebecca stated as she stood. She looked at Ace. "I'll be back in an hour or so and then we can go see about that little project we discussed if you like?"

Ace nodded. "That's fine with me. I have something I need to work on."

Rebecca flashed Ace a quick smile and swept from the room. Jules sat for a moment, glanced at Ace, then excused himself and hurried after Rebecca.

"Need any help?" he offered.

Rebecca pursed her lips and glanced towards the ceiling before smiling. "If you feel you need to. You're good at carrying things," she told him and gestured him to follow.

"Will you be needing anything else, Miss Ace?" Passepartout wanted to know as he came in to clear away the dishes.

"No, I'm fine, thank you," she said and paused before looking at him. "Do you know anyplace I could find some very small tools?" she asked.

He looked surprised at her question for a moment and then gestured her to follow him. She got up and followed him to a door. He paused a moment, then smiled at her and opened the door and gestured her inside.

"This is my lab," he told her. Ace gaped around her and made her way to a table covered in drawings. The tech was amazing for this time. For the first time she thought she might actually be able to rescue Jack and get them both home.

"Thank you, this is far more than I expected," she told Passepartout with a smile.

Passepartout clasped his hands together and scuffed a foot, looking shyly pleased.

"Did you make all this?" she asked and gestured.

"Yes, I like to make things," he said. "Mr. Jules, he is drawing many of the things I make, but sometimes I just am doing it."

He shrugged. "I have work," he stated and hurried from the room. She barely nodded as he left, her attention caught by the machines scattered around the room. This was really quite amazing. She gathered some tools and sat down at a bench near a clear space at one of the tables and with a quick tap, opened her armband.

After a few minor adjustments, she began to program a scan to find Jack. She stuck her chin in her hand as her eyes moved over the map of Paris projected in front of her, watching for the telltale dot that would tell her where Jack was.

She heard a quick intake of breath behind her and mentally cursed herself. She should have known he would be coming back. There was no way to hide it now. She grimaced and then turned to see Passepartout gazing at the projected map in wonder.

"It's amazing," he breathed and came towards her. He looked at the armband and the odd control panel of keyboard and various small levers that was clearly too large to fit inside the slim gold band.

"How are you doing that?" he wanted to know as he pointed at it. His eyes narrowed slightly as his brow furrowed and he looked at her as his arms defiantly folded across his chest.

"You are from the future," he stated. Ace couldn't help her eyes widening. He wasn't asking. She cleared her throat uneasily.

"What makes you say that? You have a lot of impressive technical equipment here," she said with a quick gesture around the room.

Passepartout shook his head at her, his face stern.

"You are like Miss Rebecca, before your time," he said. He stabbed a finger at the armband. "And that, that is…." he paused as he tried to think of a word, "alien," he finally said.

His face suddenly broke into a grin and he went over to a table and grabbed up a sheaf of drawings.

"Mr. Jules and I, we build," he said and shoved the drawings at her. "We, too, have traveled in time, to the past," he informed her, his tone slightly smug.

Ace leafed through the drawings and then looked up at Passepartout. "Is this…a time machine?"

He nodded. "'The Phoenix' she is called."

"It's fantastic," she breathed. She had no idea these people knew about time travel, or had experienced it.

Passepartout slid onto a stool next to Ace, the ghost of a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. Ace put the drawings down and looked at him.

"Is there any chance you would be willing to build another?" she asked curiously.

Passepartout paused a moment, then nodded. "You are wanting to go home?" he said, the question almost a statement. "I will help."

He tapped the drawing as Ace opened her mouth to thank him. "'The Phoenix', she is a bit unreliable," he told her and Ace slowly smiled.

"Leave that to me," she said slyly and looked at the armband. Once she found Jack, she would be able to put the Timelord tech in it to good use and get home.

/\\/\\\/\\/\/\\\\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Jack blinked, or thought he blinked. His head was splitting and he couldn't seem to open his eyes. He tried again and managed to open them just a crack.

"I see our guest is awake," Jack heard a harsh, gurgling voice say. He felt his skin go cold at the sound of the voice and shivered. He opened his eyes a little farther and saw what he could only think of as an abomination, and Jack had seen a lot of horrible things in his time, but nothing like this horrifying, Frankenstein's monster melding of human and what looked to be medieval armor.

Jack twitched and realized he was chained up on some sort of apparatus. He wanted to look around at it, but couldn't take his attention from the monstrosity that faced him.

The thing made a noise like a drain gurgling, Jack realized it was laughter.

"Your expression is quite amusing," it said to him. Jack simply blinked. He had no idea what to say and his mouth was so dry anyway, he wasn't sure he would be able to speak.

"I hear you cannot die. That is something I am very interested in, as you might have guessed," the gurgling laugh sounded again. "I am Count Gregory."

Jack felt his throat clicking with a desire to swallow hard, except there was no moisture to swallow.

"You've heard of me," the Count stated. "You look thirsty," the Count observed and he made a sort of gesture that sent an assistant over with a glass of water. The underling held the glass to Jack's lips and Jack reflexively swallowed to keep from choking as the cool liquid filled his mouth. He realized the water might be somehow drugged, but was there a point in worrying about being drugged when he was chained up?

He managed to turn his head from the glass and the underling looked at his master before scuttling away. A man in a white lab coat came over and began to prepare Jack's arm to draw blood.

Jack tentatively cleared his throat. "You can't get it from my blood," he said. The words came out raspy, but understandable.

The Count's gurgle of laughter caused Jack to shudder.

"I don't want your blood," The Count explained, causing Jack to look at the man who was drawing his blood then back at the Count.

"I intend to take your body," The Count said and Jack felt something approaching real horror. Could this bizarre creature do that? He did not want to hang around long enough to find out. He found himself pleading, nearly praying, that he would be rescued soon. There was no way he could get out of here on his own….

/\/\/\\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\\\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\

Ace sat and stared at the small scanner she and Passepartout had managed to cobble together, using tech from her wristband and various other things, to find Jack.

Passepartout had wandered off to make some food, stating all the inventing was making him hungry. She barely noticed Jules and Rebecca coming in and sitting near her to look at the scanner.

"Will it work?" Rebecca wanted to know.

"It should. Passepartout is quite clever and I have some," she paused, "specialized knowledge."

She still wasn't quite comfortable telling them everything. Passepartout had simply figured it out and although she didn't confirm, she hadn't denied any of his theories either. She also knew that he would never say a word.

Rebecca continued on as if she knew Ace was holding back, but choosing to ignore it.

"You'll have a suit by the end of the day," she told Ace. Ace turned her head and glanced at Rebecca.

"Thank you. Once we find Jack, I have a feeling I'll need it," she turned her attention back to the scanner.

"Jules and I have already raided the armory for some decent weapons to use against the Count. He's a small army at his disposal so it won't be very easy to extract Jack."

Ace could see Jules nodding in agreement from the corner of her eye.

"I can be an army if need be," she muttered and Jules and Rebecca shared an uneasy glance.

Ace had just started to doze off when a shrill beeping filled the air. She sat up with a start, in time to see Rebecca drop the cup of tea she'd been sipping from. Jules came running into the room and looked from one woman to the other.

"It's found him," Ace stated, unaware of the menacing smile that curved her lips. Rebecca stood up and rubbed her hands together, her predatory expression matching Ace's.

"Let's go then."

/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\

The group followed the device in Ace's hand to the outskirts of Paris and a large, empty-seeming warehouse. Ace shut the device off, stuffed it into her knapsack and led the way slowly towards the door, using crates and other bins as cover. She tried the door and finding it locked, gestured Rebecca over.

Rebecca nodded and pulled a small, syringe-like device out and carefully squirted something on the wood around the door handle. The liquid quickly began to smoke and Rebecca carefully pulled the handle away.

Ace pulled a canister of Nitro-10 from her pack and led the way inside. Jules made to follow the women, but Phileas stopped him.

"Stay out here, hide. The Count would love to get his hands on you and we can't have that. Let's not tempt fate."

Jules sighed, but nodded and slipped into the shadows at the corner of the building.

Ace turned and glanced back at Rebecca at the sound of voices as they neared a door. She made a series of gestures at Rebecca, who nodded and moved with cat-like grace to the other side of the door to peer into the dirty windows nearby. She edged her face close to see and caught sight of Jack. She jerked her head back and twisted around to nod at Ace.

Rebecca reached down and carefully drew a long knife from her boot while Phileas drew his sword. Ace put her hand on the knob, glanced to make sure Fogg and Rebecca were ready and then slammed the door open with a shriek as she threw the canister into the room, aiming it at the Count who was near a console. She tucked into a roll, using the smoke that was issuing from the canister as cover and then stood and bolted for Jack.

"NO!" she heard the Count's voice bellow, but ignored it and focused on Jack. A feeling of déjà vu washed over her as she saw him strapped to the metal frame. She took a moment to look around the room. She could hear the sounds of Rebecca and Fogg fighting the guards the Count had had in the room.

She pulled out a knife Rebecca had given her and quickly sliced through the straps. She saw the color of the smoke change and let out a shrill whistle. Rebecca and Fogg broke off fighting and dashed across the room to Ace as the canister went off.

Fogg and Rebecca took charge of Jack as Ace peered through the smoke, her brow furrowed. Why hadn't the Count done more? She hadn't looked long enough, granted, but he had seemed to just be standing there. She shrugged. No use worrying about it now. They had to get out. She picked up a nearby trolley that had various medical implements on it and used it to smash one of the large windows.

She pulled the skirt Jack had made her wear out of the knapsack and flung it over the edge of the window to protect them from the bits of broken glass still in the window frame and hurriedly climbed out.

The three of them muscled Jack out of the window and then Rebecca and Fogg quickly climbed out. As Fogg and Rebecca carried Jack out, Ace waited a moment. She peered intently at the smoke, her ears straining for any sound. She could hear nothing. No outcry. Nothing. She felt gooseflesh begin to creep across her arms.

Why was there no one else in the building? Surely that explosion would have brought guards running from everywhere? From all they had told her about the Count, rescuing Jack should not have been this easy.

She bit her lip and then turned and ran after Fogg and Rebecca. When she got outside, she saw Rebecca kneeling next to Jack, trying to bring him around. Rebecca looked up as Ace approached.

"He's been drugged or something. I'm not sure I can do anything for him until we get to the Aurora."

Ace nodded absently and looked over at Fogg, who was using one of Ace's two radios to talk to Passepartout.

"So, is the Count dead then?" Jules wanted to know. Ace shook herself out of her reverie and looked at Jules.

"I want to say yes," Ace began hesitantly. "But I just can't." She tapped Rebecca on the shoulder to get the woman's attention.

"Didn't that seem too easy?" she wanted to know.

Rebecca opened her mouth and then closed it again. Her brow furrowed as she thought.

"In all the excitement I hadn't thought about it, but now," Rebecca paused. "I think you're right. There should have been a lot more guards around if he was using this as a base. He has his whole League of Darkness at his disposal."

Rebecca stood and brushed at the dust on her knees. She tossed her braid back over her shoulder and looked back at the warehouse.

"Maybe he didn't think we would be able to find him," Jules suggested. Ace and Rebecca both turned to him. Rebecca snorted with disgust.

"Why don't we just thank our luck and get him out of here," Fogg broke in. "We can debate it all later."

They all looked up at the sound of the Aurora overhead and got on board as quickly as possible.

/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\\\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/

Rebecca held Jack's hand as she sat next to the bed they had put him in. She hoped he would be okay. She knew she shouldn't feel this way. Despite her seeming upset at Phileas' disapproval, she knew her cousin had a point.

"Do you think we should find a doctor?" Ace asked from the doorway.

Rebecca looked over and a ghost of a smile crossed her face before she turned back to Jack.

"No, Passepartout is skilled enough. We're flushing his system so surely he'll come around soon."

Ace took a sip of her tea.

"Speaking of Passepartout, he's got some food ready, if you're hungry."

Rebecca shook her head. "Not just now."

Ace narrowed her eyes, but said nothing. It was clear how the woman felt about Jack. Ace wanted to advise her against it, but she was still trying to keep from revealing too much about herself and Jack to these people, even though they had proven to be good allies. Though, it was starting to become pointless. She'd shared some of her Timelord technology with Passepartout in order to find Jack and would be sharing more to help build the Phoenix and they knew Jack couldn't die. She sighed, but kept silent as she watched Rebecca pat Jack's hand and then turned and headed down to the workroom.

Passepartout was already hard at work on finishing up the body of the Phoenix. She peered through the hatch and noted the pedestal where the control panel would go and then to the comfortable-looking chair. She frowned. There was really only room for one person in there! How would she and Jack get where they needed to go if they both couldn't fit inside.

"Passepartout, it's too small," she stated.

Passepartout straightened up from where he'd been touching up some of the welding. He took off the goggles and smiled at her.

"Is not too small, Miss Ace," he corrected her.

"Just Ace, please, Passepartout," she said with a sigh. "And it is, there are only one chair and no room for anyone else."

Passepartout held up his forefinger and walked over the large table he was building the "engine" for the Phoenix on. He picked up her armband and held it up.

"But this is being larger on the inside than on the outside, yes?" and grinned at her.

"So, my armband is going to be completely dismantled then?" she asked unable to keep the disappointment from her tone.

"But in good cause," Passepartout told her and gestured her over to the table where the partially built engine sat.

She walked over and soon the two had their heads together and were engrossed in an intensive technical discussion as they worked to finish the engine. Ace found herself again and again amazed at Passepartout's skill and intellect. She watched and assisted as best she could as he finished dismantling her armband and adapting the technology to use to build the engine for the Phoenix. Some of what he did she couldn't even follow, but she kept quiet. He seemed confident in what he was doing.

A sudden shrill scream made them both turn, Passepartout dropping the tool he was holding, while Ace gripped the screwdriver she was holding tighter in her fist as she started for the door. She burst into the hall from the stairs, nearly impaling Fogg on the screwdriver.

"Rebecca," he barely gasped and pushed Ace in the direction of Rebecca's room and stopped short at the sight of Jack holding Rebecca in his arms. Ace could see blood and her fingers tightened on the screwdriver. From the corner of her eye she saw Fogg raise his sword.

"What's happened?" Fogg demanded as he took a step towards them.

A feral smile twisted Jack's face as he tossed Rebecca's body to the floor just in front of Fogg. He then quickly turned and ran down the hall and into the control room, maniacal laughter trailing behind him. Ace looked at Phileas in shock before running after Jack, leaving Fogg to deal with Rebecca.

She rushed into the control room too late. Jack had already opened the hatch and was sliding down the rope. She slammed her hand down on the button for the winch in order to wind the rope back up, but Jack looked up at her and let go of the rope, dropping the last 10 feet to the ground. He ducked, rolled and jumped up. He looked up and sketched her a cocky salute before dashing off and quickly becoming lost amongst the buildings.

Ace brought the rope the rest of the way up and closed the hatch.

"What happened? Was that Jack?" Jules wanted to know. Ace turned to face him.

"It was Jack's body, but I don't think that was Jack," she told him, her tone dark. She headed back into the hall and went into Rebecca's room where Phileas had laid his cousin on the bed.

"Rebecca…." she began.

"He killed her," Phileas' voice grated with barely suppressed rage.

Ace felt the tears sting her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

"Why would Jack do that?" he demanded to know as he stood and faced Ace. She could see the hurt and anger in his face. "We trusted you."

Ace shook her head. "That wasn't Jack," she told him. "I don't know how, but..." she broke off and shook her head again. "I think that was the Count, in Jack's body."

Phileas felt his jaw drop. He wanted to argue, but he thought about the expression on Jack's face. True, he hadn't known them long, but it was easy to see that that expression was alien to what he knew of Jack's character.

"How," Fogg breathed.

Ace shook her head. "I have no idea." She leaned against the wall, slid down it and slumped on the floor. "And I have no idea how to fix it…or…or anything."

She leaned her head against the wall, trying to fight the despair as she felt the tears finally began to slip down her cheeks. Phileas looked at her a moment, then dropped to his knees next to her and took her hand and patted it awkwardly.

"Surely we can think of something," he said softly.

"I don't know what," she replied brokenly. "Rebecca's dead and so is Jack."

Phileas squeezed her hand. Passepartout came out of Rebecca's room and stood behind Fogg.

"Can we not be using the Phoenix to maybe save Mister Jack and Miss Rebecca?"

Ace felt her heart stop. Why hadn't she thought of that? She considered it a moment. The Jack she had met when she came here was from the future, in fact had just come from quite far into the future. The Jack who'd traveled with the Doctor hadn't been the Count. Therefore, they should be able to use the Phoenix to go back and rescue Jack before the Count had been able to try his experiment.

Ace quickly jumped to her feet and dashed her tears away with the back of her hand. She smiled hugely and grabbed Passepartout and kissed him soundly.

"You are a genius," she said. "Let's get busy! We have time machine to build!"

Passepartout stood in shock as watched her hurry away. He slowly moved his eyes to glance at Fogg who was trying not to smile and then blushed before turning to run after her and trying to ignore the sound of Fogg's deep chuckle that followed after him.


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Doctor Who or The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne**

**Chapter 3**

Ace and Passepartout worked the night straight through to finish building the engine for the Phoenix and then install it. Both were tired with badly frayed tempers when they finished just before the sun came up, but the knowledge that they were finished filled them both with a sense of exaltation that helped wash their weariness away.

They grinned at each other like children as they gazed at their finished creation.

"So, Miss Ace, would you like to be doing the honors?" Passepartout asked her with a bow as he gestured with his arm towards the Phoenix.

She nodded and stepped through the opening to sit in the chair.

"I still don't understand how more than one person is going to fit into this contraption," she said skeptically. She had thought they would be using the Timelord technology was to make the Phoenix larger on the inside, but it was still the same.

She shook her head. Maybe that would happen after the engine was turned on she thought with a shrug and reached down to activate the engine.

The crystals Passepartout had built into the matrix of the machine began to glow and she heard a low hum as the engine came to life. She suddenly jerked in the chair as she felt a blast of energy pass through her. She ducked her head out of the opening and watched as the energy field rippled through the walls and was gone.

She looked at Passepartout who was grinning widely.

"What was that?"

He gave a short shake of his head as a mischievous expression crossed his face. He gestured again and she turned to look at the engine and gasped as a small, holographic field unfolded above the engine itself showing an external view of the Aurora. As she looked at the "screen" she saw the energy field expand and enfold the whole of the dirigible and she suddenly realized what Passepartout had done.

"You externalized the field!" she gasped as she stepped out of the Phoenix. "You've turned the whole of the Aurora into a time machine."

"Yes, I did," he replied proudly and folded his arms as he gazed at the Phoenix in satisfaction.

"Is it stable?" she wanted to know.

Passepartout stepped to the entrance of the Phoenix and motioned that she should sit down again. He pointed at the holographic screen and the image of the Aurora it contained.

Ace looked again and realized she energy field was clearly visible surrounding the Aurora. It pulsed strongly and she looked smooth, seamless and above all, stable.

"Any problem in the field and it should show up on the screen," he told her. He pointed to the grouping of crystals that were giving off a pulsing glow. "You touch those crystals there to be adjusting the field and correct…" he paused as he searched for the word, "instabilities," he finished.

"Passepartout, this is nothing short of amazing," she breathed. She couldn't believe he, a mere human, had managed to alter and adapt Timelord technology to this purpose. She narrowed her eyes and looked back up at him. "Are you sure you're human?"

Passepartout chuckled. "But of course I am being a human, what else could I possibly be?" he asked her. "You are sometimes saying very strange things Miss Ace," he added.

"Yes, I guess I am," she conceded. Just human, but clearly a very talented one. She was drawn to Passepartout, she had to admit to herself. His intellect and skill matched and in some ways, outstripped, her own Timelord modified attributes. It was hopeless, however. She wasn't entirely human anymore and any relationship she might want to enter into would end in a great deal of pain as he grew old and died and she did not. She swallowed the lump she felt in her throat and allowed herself to examine the engine controls and familiarize herself with how they worked.

"Miss Ace," she heard Passepartout say her name and she looked up to see Fogg standing next to his former servant.

"So, this field that surrounds the ship also seems solid enough for there to be air out on the deck," Fogg informed her. She looked at Passepartout and he nodded.

"It is protective and yes, is making it okay for us to breathe anywhere on the ship," Passepartout explained.

"All right, then," she sighed. "Passepartout, you take the Aurora as near to the warehouse where the Count was keeping Jack as possible without our being seen."

"If you touch there," Passepartout indicated, "we will be blending in and they will not see us. Also, we are not being heard through the field."

Ace smiled. "Perfect. Then fly us directly over the warehouse. I'll then activate the time jump and take us back to as soon after Jack was taken as possible," she told them. She was just thankful she could remember the sound of the bells she had heard not long after she had come to after Jack was taken. Jules had explained to her it had been a nearby clock tower striking the time. It gave her a rough idea of the time frame she needed.

Passepartout nodded and headed for the control room. Fogg gripped Ace's shoulder. She looked at him and nodded once. He nodded back and then turned to follow Passepartout to the control room.

Ace's fingers danced lightly over the controls as she programmed the time they needed to get to, pausing only when she felt the slight jolt of the Aurora changing course to fly them to the warehouse. She waited, with her hand poised over the panel, almost holding her breath, to hear Passepartout announce they had arrived at the warehouse.

She finally heard his voice come through the speaker. "We have arrived." She took a deep breath, sent out a silent prayer and pressed the control. A familiar sound began to issue from the engine, it sounded just like the engine of a TARDIS. She couldn't help the smile that tugged the corners of her mouth as the sound washed over her. All too soon it stopped and she looked at the screen. Under the image of the Aurora hovering over the warehouse appeared the date and time she had programmed in. They had arrived.

She locked the controls in place and climbed from the Phoenix, pausing only to grab her knapsack as she jogged to the control room.

"We're here," she told them. Fogg nodded and checked his sword and then his gun.

"Shall we," he said and gestured towards the now open hatch. She and Phileas would go down and get Jack back from the Count. Jules would provide cover fire if they needed and Passepartout would be ready to fly away as soon as they were on the winch platform with Jack.

Ace and Fogg dropped lightly to their feet and crept quietly across the roof of the warehouse. At this time, it was crawling with the League of Darkness. Ace realized their rescue of Jack had been an elaborate trap. She thought perhaps Jack, no, not Jack, the Count was planning to kill them all, but they'd responded to quickly to Rebecca's scream and he'd had to run.

The Count could not have expected this, however. But it would be tougher to rescue Jack this time. They would have to be careful. She and Fogg went to the edge of the roof and crouched there before looking over the low railing. They mentally noted the positions of the soldiers and ducked back behind the low wall around the roof.

"I have Nitro-10," she told Fogg softly. He nodded.

"I think our best chance is to wait until the ones with Jack get near the door, then drop Nitro-10 on them. We can get Jack under cover of the smoke and hopefully get him away from the blast area before it goes off."

"You go down and wait over there," Ace pointed at the corner of the building to their left. "I'll go down just over there after I drop the canister."

Fogg nodded and quickly moved to the corner of the building, edged over and then dropped out of her sight. She heard nothing and smiled. No guards over there. She peered back over the edge and glanced towards the road and finally saw a wagon approaching. She felt her heartbeat speed up in excitement as she watched the driver rein the horse to a stop and jump down from the wagon seat.

She watched several guards approach the wagon and they carefully lifted Jack from the bed of the wagon and began to carry him to the door. She waited until one of the three guards moved to open the door and then dropped the canister.

She jumped to her feet with a cry of dismay as the canister detonated. It must have been faulty, she realized and watched as the guards and Jack were flung into the air like rag dolls. She shouldered the knapsack and began to climb down the building as quickly as possible as she watched Phileas run for Jack's limp form. She fished out the radio and brusquely ordered Passepartout to move the ship. Jack was dead and there was no way she and Fogg could get his body onto the roof and to the safety of the Aurora.

She bit her lip so hard it bled while she watched the airship slowly maneuver in their direction so that the winch platform would come within their reach. She looked over at the front of the warehouse. At least no guards would be coming out that way, but she was sure there was an entrance at the back and knew guards would come running towards them at any moment.

"Bloody hell," she heard Fogg yelp as a bullet hit the ground next to him. He shifted and lifted Jack into a fireman's carry and began to move towards the direction of the Aurora. Jules must have seen and said something, for the platform suddenly hit the ground with a thump just in front of Fogg.

She watched Fogg get himself and Jack onto the platform and then Ace pulled her gun and fired back at the guards on the roof of the warehouse as she ran for the platform. She heard gunfire from above and saw Jules giving them covering fire from the deck of the Aurora. She tucked her gun into the waistband of her trousers and leapt for the platform.

She felt a blazing pain across her calf just before she landed on the platform. She rolled into a sitting position just in time to watch the warehouse recede into the distance as the Aurora flew away.

She shared a victorious smile with Fogg as they were lifted into the ship. Jack was dead, but he would revive and they had managed to escape from the Count otherwise unscathed. She guessed in a way it had been a good thing that canister had been faulty. They might not have made it out otherwise.

Fogg lifted Jack once again and carried him into a bedroom. Ace got up and cried out in pain.

"Miss Ace, you have been shot!" Passepartout exclaimed in dismay. Ace groaned and grabbed onto the winch to haul herself to her feet and suddenly Rebecca was there, ducking under Ace's arm to help her stand.

"If it's any consolation, I shot the man who shot you," Rebecca said with a grin. Ace half-nodded, hiding her surprise at seeing Rebecca. Of course Rebecca was alive now and it was probably best they didn't say anything about her having been dead.

Rebecca helped Ace limp into the study and then cleaned and bandaged Ace's leg.

"At least the bullet just grazed your leg, we don't have to try and dig it out."

"At least," Ace agreed, deadpan, and then chuckled.

"Can you help me down to the Phoenix?" she asked. Rebecca nodded and looped Ace's arm around her shoulder to help Ace hobble down to the workroom.

Ace eased herself into the seat and began to work the controls to send them all back to their proper time. She smiled once again as the familiar sound swirled around her. She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair with a sigh.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Doctor Who or The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne**

**Chapter 4**

She awoke to Passepartout shaking her shoulder.

"Miss Ace, we are being back home now. I have food ready. Come, eat."

Ace blinked up at Passepartout sleepily and stretched before she stood up and followed him up to the small dining room. Jack was in a chair, alive now, and his injuries bandaged up. Rebecca sat next to him, solicitously filling his plate with food and helping him to eat while Fogg looked on in, his lips set in a thin line of disapproval.

She greeted the others and then sat down and began to eat her way steadily through her dinner. Passepartout was also a fantastic chef and Ace realized she was extremely hungry. When her plate was clean she leaned back in the chair and looked at the others.

"Well, now that the Phoenix is built, I, um, Jack and I need to borrow it."

Rebecca and Fogg both looked at her, Rebecca wore an interested expression, Fogg, a suspicious one.

"Why?" Fogg asked in a low voice, dragging the word out.

Ace looked helplessly at Jack, who managed a small shrug.

"I'm sure you've guessed by now that we aren't from around here," she finally said.

"Really," Fogg remarked, once again in a low voice, and again, dragging the word out.

"We need to use the Phoenix to get back to our own time," she finally said.

"You're from the future," Rebecca asked, excitement coloring her tone. She looked at Jack, who nodded.

Phileas brought his hands up, steepled his fingers and pressed them to his lips as he gazed at Ace.

"I see," he finally said. He stared at her a few moments longer. "I suppose we should let you, then," he finally stated. He rubbed his hands on his thighs and then stood up.

"Rebecca, let us depart so that our friends may go where they need to go," he told her and finally gave Ace a friendly smile. She couldn't help but smile back, and also notice that Fogg was an incredibly good-looking man when he chose to be warm and friendly.

"No, Phileas," Rebecca said. She lifted her chin and sat straighter in her chair.

"What do you mean, no, Rebecca? We can't make them stay here when they want to go home to where they truly belong."

"I'm going with them," she stated in a tone of finality.

Fogg's eyes widened and Ace felt her jaw drop.

"That would not be wise, Rebecca. I don't think you would fit in their time anymore than they fit in ours."

"I disagree," Rebecca argued and suddenly Ace realized that somehow, Rebecca had overheard the conversation she and Passepartout had had, when he mentioned that Rebecca was ahead of her time.

Rebecca stood and rushed over to Fogg and took his hands in hers.

"We both know I've never really fit here. I'm far too shocking for this place," she said in a slightly wheedling tone.

"But Rebecca, you can't," Fogg began helplessly. How could he possibly lose his cousin like this? How would he ever explain it to the family?

"I'm going. I don't want to hurt you to keep you from stopping me, but I will if I have to."

Fogg rubbed a hand across his mouth and chin and then sighed.

"I suppose I can't stop you," he finally relented. Rebecca's smile was like the sun coming up and she roughly grabbed Fogg and pulled him into a bear hug.

Fogg suffered the embrace for a moment and then pushed her away, brushing at his clothes as he sighed.

"Probably for the best," he huffed.

"Let's be off then, Verne," Fogg said and then leveled his finger at Jules. "Don't even think about going."

Jules nodded meekly and gave Rebecca a quick squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. He then repeated his actions with Ace.

"It was really fantastic to meet you," he said to Ace and then he turned back to Rebecca. "And I'll miss you."

Rebecca smiled at him warmly and watched him leave. The scraping of chair legs against floor caused both women to turn. Jack was standing, leaning heavily on the table, but standing.

"Jack, you should sit down. We don't have to go anywhere, well, you don't have to go anywhere for me to get us home."

"I'm not going, Ace," he said.

"What? But you can't stay here!"

He shook his head at her. "No, I have to stay. I can't say exactly why, but I have a feeling that I'm supposed to stay here. Something very important, for me at any rate, is going to happen. I can feel it," he told her.

Ace furrowed her brow as she listened, but she remained silent and listened. She finally nodded.

"I understand," she said and walked over to embrace Jack.

"I'm glad to have met a kindred spirit," she said in a slightly cryptic manner. Jack managed a smile.

"Rebecca, it has been a true pleasure and I can't possibly express my regret at not being able to spend more time in your glorious company," he said as he took her hand. Then he bent over her hand and kissed it, bringing a blush to Rebecca's cheeks.

Rebecca was so flustered she couldn't even reply. She watched him hobble away with the hand Jack had kissed clutched to her chest.

Ace stifled a giggle and went over to Passepartout, who was still at the wheel.

"You should go now, too, Passepartout."

"I do not think so, Miss Ace," he disagreed.

"What?"

"The Aurora, she is my ship, and I will not be a rat and desert her. We are one, Miss Ace. Where she goes, I go."

Ace looked at him, her gaze meeting his. She knew he was also saying that where she, herself went, he would go. Ace could see that he had feelings for her and she wished she might be able to return them, but it wasn't possible. However, the Aurora was his and someone had to bring her back to her own time after Ace and Rebecca were back in Ace's future.

She nodded.

"Very well," she finally agreed. "I'll go program the Phoenix."

Passepartout smiled and nodded in satisfaction and began to whistle as he steered the ship.

Rebecca blinked and then went outside onto the deck and peered down at Phileas, Jules and Jack. She raised her hand in a wave and watched them raise their hands in return.

She felt a rush of energy through her as the field the engine of the Phoenix generated moved into place and when she looked down again, the field had gone opaque and a grinding, rushing noise had filled the air around her. She leaned on the rail intent on being the first to see their destination when they arrived.

**Epilogue**

Jules, Phileas and Jack waved back at Rebecca as she waved down at them. The jaws of all three men dropped as the Aurora slowly vanished.

"It seems you are here for good," Phileas said to Jack. Jack nodded.

"Yes, everything as it's supposed to be," Jack said sagely and then ruined it with a boyish grin. Phileas snorted.

"If you should ever need to, you may contact me. I still have many contacts in the British Secret Service and I'll make sure to know they should pass along any messages to me."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Jack said and stuck out his hand.

Phileas looked at Jack's hand a moment and then shook it. Jules was far less subdued and quickly grabbed Jack's hand once Phileas had released it and pumped it enthusiastically.

"Time for me to go back to the wife, but you ever need anything, you find me and let me know. And watch out for the Count. It might be wise for you to leave France altogether."

"I feel an urge to see England," he remarked. Phileas shook his head and sighed.

"Come along then, Captain. I'll purchase your tickets and make sure you get where you need to go."

Jack shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, thank you very much, Phileas," Jack replied in mock-surprise and followed along gamely behind Fogg as the man walked off down the street.

Jack couldn't help but shake his head and let out a little whistle. "All that going to waste," Jack sighed and was rewarded with the sound of Jules' laughter from behind him.


End file.
